9780679731726

The Remains of the Day

The Remains of the Day is a profoundly compelling portrait of the perfect English butler and of his fading, insular world postwar England. At the end of his three decades of service at Darlington Hall, Stevens embarks on a country drive, during which he looks back over his career to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving “a great gentleman.” But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington’s “greatness” and graver doubts about his own faith in the man he served.

A tragic, spiritual portrait of a perfect English butler and his reaction to his fading insular world in post-war England. A wonderful, wonderful book.

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Review:

The novel's narrator, Stevens, is a perfect English butler who tries to give his narrow existence form and meaning through the self-effacing, almost mystical practice of his profession. In a career that spans the second World War, Stevens is oblivious of the real life that goes on around him -- oblivious, for instance, of the fact that his aristocrat employer is a Nazi sympathizer. Still, there are even larger matters at stake in this heartbreaking, pitch-perfect novel -- namely, Stevens' own ability to allow some bit of life-affirming love into his tightly repressed existence.

From the Inside Flap:

A tragic, spiritual portrait of a perfect English butler and his reaction to his fading insular world in post-war England. A wonderful, wonderful book.

Book Description Random House USA Inc, United States, 1993. Paperback. Book Condition: New. Media Tie In, Reprint. 201 x 130 mm. Language: English Brand New Book. The Remains of the Day is a profoundly compelling portrait of the perfect English butler and of his fading, insular world postwar England. At the end of his three decades of service at Darlington Hall, Stevens embarks on a country drive, during which he looks back over his career to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving a great gentleman. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington s greatness and graver doubts about his own faith in the man he served. A tragic, spiritual portrait of a perfect English butler and his reaction to his fading insular world in post-war England. A wonderful, wonderful book. Bookseller Inventory # ABZ9780679731726

Book Description Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1990. Paperback. Book Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from US within 10 to 14 business days. Established seller since 2000. Bookseller Inventory # VR-9780679731726

Book Description Vintage International, 1990. Book Condition: New. Brand New, Unread Copy in Perfect Condition. A+ Customer Service! Summary: An intricate and dazzling novel. - The New York Times Brilliant and quietly devastating. - Newsweek A virtuoso performance . put on with dazzling daring and aplomb. - The New York Review of Books A perfect novel. I couldnt put it down. -Ann Beattie The novel rests firmly on the narrative sophistication and flawless control of tone . of a most impressive novelist. -Julian Barnes. Bookseller Inventory # ABE_book_new_0679731725

Book Description Vintage International. PAPERBACK. Book Condition: New. 0679731725 An English butler reflects--sometimes bitterly, sometimes humorously--on his service to a lord between the two world wars and discovers doubts about his master's character and about the ultimate value of his own service to humanity. Bookseller Inventory # 4138988